Bal Harbour Quarzo owners sued for allegedly skipping out on $1.5M in loans

The owners of a boutique hotel in Bal Harbour are having trouble paying their debts, according to five recently filed lawsuits in Miami-Dade Circuit Court.

Two companies and four individuals allege Bal Harbour Quarzo LLC failed to pay back five loans totaling $1.5 million dating back to 2007.

Paul Battista, the attorney representing all the plaintiffs, did not return two phone messages requesting comment. Efforts to reach Bal Harbour Quarzo LLC principals Juan Arcila and Carlos Mehecha were unsuccessful. In 2007, their company paid $15.8 million for a trio of three-story, mid-rise towers that were converted into Bal Harbour Quarzo, a boutique hotel with a total of 91 rooms. One of the buildings, located at 290 Bal Bay Drive in Bal Harbour, is located on Intracoastal Waterway.

Quarzo owes the most to Vision Planning Group, which alleges that the hotel owners stopped making quarterly payments in February 2014 on a $1 million loan taken out on April 2, 2009. According to Vision’s lawsuit, Mahecha personally guaranteed the loan.

Alcora alleges Quarzo hasn’t paid back a $200,000 loan that was supposed to be paid in full with accrued interest at 18 percent on March 10, 2010. The complaint alleges Quarzo’s principals signed a letter acknowledging the money was still owed in 2013.

The remaining plaintiffs, Guillermo Santos Calderon, Dora Nancy Gonzalez, Danilo Salazar and Martha Cecelia Grau make similar allegations in their lawsuits. The five individuals claim Quarzo owes them a combined $400,000 in unpaid loans.

Gonzalez, who is owed $100,000, alleges in her lawsuit that Quarzo only made eight interest payments totaling $20,000 from March 2008 to December 2009.

According to promotional materials on a hotel lodging website, Quarzo features a Zen inspired garden, pool cabanas and sun chairs “offering a private, friendly and relaxing environment.” The hotel has regular rooms to condo-sized suites equipped with full kitchens, furniture, and offers personalized service. Rooms start at $252 a night.